Even in these early stages it is clear that the Coronavirus outbreak is a global and historic crisis whose impacts we are each experiencing in our daily lives. Far from the headlines of the mainstream media, Communists around the world are contemplating what it means for the future of capitalism, communism and humanity as a whole as the virus and method to mitigate it's spread impact working people.
As of March 16th 2020, "In Defence of Communism" has published a collection of statements made by communist parties around the world on the Coronavirus outbreak. Reflecting the international nature of the Communist movement and of the Coronavirus outbreak, this includes Communist Parties in Australia, Austria, France, Greece, Ireland, Sweden, Spain, Germany, Chile, Brazil and Yugoslavia. They are avaliable at the link here: In Defense of Communism: Coronavirus: Communist and Workers' Parties across the world address the #Covid19 situation
There are also articles in various far left publications discussing the crisis and our response to it, such as this one from leftvoice.org and wsws.org:
We Won’t Pay for This Crisis: An Emergency Program to Protect Working People
How to fight the COVID-19 pandemic: A program of action for the working class
However, as RF tends to be centred on its American users, I will only share this more recent statement published on the PCUSA's Blog on the 17th March 2020 to illustrate how Communists are responding to the outbreak. I am only able to share part of the statement, but the full version is available here for those interested: On The Coronavirus – Party of Communists USA
COVID-19 or Coronavirus disease 2019 has recently been declared as a pandemic illness by the World Health Organization (WHO), and is affecting hundreds of thousands of lives around the globe. The United States, its corporations, businesses, and government, has already proven itself incapable of adequately handling all aspects of this outbreak. Because the bourgeois state lacks the apparatus to properly care for the most at risk communities we, unfortunately, must turn to these communities to help prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV2 virus.
We encourage the people, of not only the United States, to refrain from panic and paranoia, but to also take the threat of this virus seriously. SARS-CoV2 is more infectious than SARS but not nearly as deadly. SARS-CoV2 has a 4% average fatality rate, however for anyone 80 years or older the fatality rate is as high as 14.8%. Anyone with an immuno-deficiency is similarly at risk of experiencing severe symptoms.
We encourage everyone with cold/flu like symptoms to self-quarantine, to the best of their abilities. We encourage everyone to look out for the most at risk members of their family and community, and work with them to help limit their exposure to the virus. We encourage everyone to wash their hands frequently.
We encourage those least at risk of severe symptoms, and those not exhibiting symptoms, to work with community centers and activists to provide food and supplies to their neighborhoods.
We are in the midst of a public health terror.
It is easy to succumb to fear and misinformation regarding wide spread health concerns.
The Party of Communists USA advocates for the safety, knowledge, and community of the working-class people. We refuse to perpetuate ideas of violence, xenophobia, and alienation. The COVID-19 disease is an international crisis. Meaning we must extend compassion to all nationalities, and come together to address the crisis. SARS-CoV2 is not Chinese or East Asian borne, and it does not solely belong to any country, race, or nationality. Viruses have no bias and no preference. You can contract the virus through direct contact with someone affected – not through what you consume, and not through only people of East Asian descent.
COVID-19 presents a large economic problem for the working people of the United States. Thousands of Americans go without access to healthcare, and without paid sick leave. These individuals are often the backbone of our functioning society. They serve our food, they are our transportation, they watch our children. Without the access to real healthcare, many are facing unpaid leave, or even loss of employment, upon contracting the virus. There are no federal mandates in the United States on emergency paid leave, and the Senate has recently rejected a bill for emergency paid sick leave to Americans.
The Party of Communists USA demands the United States Government to:
...
The problems we are facing, with regards to coronavirus, are exactly why we need socialism. Look at how dysfunctional the bourgeois state is; they are only worried about their money, not about the people. People are losing their jobs, or they are being sent home without any sick leave at all, let alone paid sick leave. Many of these people have children being sent home from school as well, and there is no childcare being provided for them. People who are not sick are forced home to take care of their children, and they will lose pay over this. The bourgeois state is scrambling around, incapable of properly addressing all of these issues, because they lack the state power to do what is necessary. The bourgeoisie’s preoccupation with maintaining their profits, over the lives and well-being of the people, has shown the true nature of capitalism. Meanwhile, we can look towards countries with socialized healthcare, such as Vietnam, where they have tackled the issue to the best of their ability, and the virus is on its way to being wiped out. Immediately, they built the necessary test kits, and got to work. This shows the efficiency of a planned economy. In China, those who are quarantined are not worried about becoming homeless, or going hungry, the state provides for their people. Capitalist states worry about the bottom dollar, socialist states worry about the people. As well, in Vietnam, they have taken the proper measures to ensure that the needs are met of all people affected by the virus, including food. Again, this shows the functionality of socialized healthcare as opposed to private healthcare, and the need to abolish capitalism.
Covid-19 has succeeded in revealing the absolute weakness of American capitalism when dealing with a crisis. Whilst countries like China and Vietnam have succeeded in containing the virus, America instead chooses to contain Wall Street losses, with a 1.5 TRILLION dollar bailout, leaving ordinary working class Americans to fend for themselves. It is socialism for the rich, and rugged capitalism for the poor! This is simply unacceptable, atrocious and outrageous, and these kinds of actions must be met with the fury of the people!
Do you believe that Coronavirus will lead to changes in how we see our economic and political system? Can it help us re-evaluate the state of the world and our place within it? And will it strengthen the case for Communism as an alternative to the status quo? Or will be go back to "business as usual" at the end of the outbreak?
As of March 16th 2020, "In Defence of Communism" has published a collection of statements made by communist parties around the world on the Coronavirus outbreak. Reflecting the international nature of the Communist movement and of the Coronavirus outbreak, this includes Communist Parties in Australia, Austria, France, Greece, Ireland, Sweden, Spain, Germany, Chile, Brazil and Yugoslavia. They are avaliable at the link here: In Defense of Communism: Coronavirus: Communist and Workers' Parties across the world address the #Covid19 situation
There are also articles in various far left publications discussing the crisis and our response to it, such as this one from leftvoice.org and wsws.org:
We Won’t Pay for This Crisis: An Emergency Program to Protect Working People
How to fight the COVID-19 pandemic: A program of action for the working class
However, as RF tends to be centred on its American users, I will only share this more recent statement published on the PCUSA's Blog on the 17th March 2020 to illustrate how Communists are responding to the outbreak. I am only able to share part of the statement, but the full version is available here for those interested: On The Coronavirus – Party of Communists USA
COVID-19 or Coronavirus disease 2019 has recently been declared as a pandemic illness by the World Health Organization (WHO), and is affecting hundreds of thousands of lives around the globe. The United States, its corporations, businesses, and government, has already proven itself incapable of adequately handling all aspects of this outbreak. Because the bourgeois state lacks the apparatus to properly care for the most at risk communities we, unfortunately, must turn to these communities to help prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV2 virus.
We encourage the people, of not only the United States, to refrain from panic and paranoia, but to also take the threat of this virus seriously. SARS-CoV2 is more infectious than SARS but not nearly as deadly. SARS-CoV2 has a 4% average fatality rate, however for anyone 80 years or older the fatality rate is as high as 14.8%. Anyone with an immuno-deficiency is similarly at risk of experiencing severe symptoms.
We encourage everyone with cold/flu like symptoms to self-quarantine, to the best of their abilities. We encourage everyone to look out for the most at risk members of their family and community, and work with them to help limit their exposure to the virus. We encourage everyone to wash their hands frequently.
We encourage those least at risk of severe symptoms, and those not exhibiting symptoms, to work with community centers and activists to provide food and supplies to their neighborhoods.
We are in the midst of a public health terror.
It is easy to succumb to fear and misinformation regarding wide spread health concerns.
The Party of Communists USA advocates for the safety, knowledge, and community of the working-class people. We refuse to perpetuate ideas of violence, xenophobia, and alienation. The COVID-19 disease is an international crisis. Meaning we must extend compassion to all nationalities, and come together to address the crisis. SARS-CoV2 is not Chinese or East Asian borne, and it does not solely belong to any country, race, or nationality. Viruses have no bias and no preference. You can contract the virus through direct contact with someone affected – not through what you consume, and not through only people of East Asian descent.
COVID-19 presents a large economic problem for the working people of the United States. Thousands of Americans go without access to healthcare, and without paid sick leave. These individuals are often the backbone of our functioning society. They serve our food, they are our transportation, they watch our children. Without the access to real healthcare, many are facing unpaid leave, or even loss of employment, upon contracting the virus. There are no federal mandates in the United States on emergency paid leave, and the Senate has recently rejected a bill for emergency paid sick leave to Americans.
The Party of Communists USA demands the United States Government to:
- Provide quality healthcare to every person in the country, with no out of pocket costs at entry.
- Begin mass production of testing kits so every person showing cold/flu symptoms may be tested
- Work with China and Cuba to better coordinate the production and development of vaccines and anti-viral drugs.
- Release all those currently imprisoned in so-called “migrant detention centers”
- Provide job protections and mandatory paid sick leave so that all may properly self-quarantine without fear of losing their livelihoods and their ability to provide food for themselves and their family
- Cease the demonization of China’s response to the pandemic, and cease demonization of the Chinese and other ethnic groups/immigrants
- FREE healthcare.
...
The problems we are facing, with regards to coronavirus, are exactly why we need socialism. Look at how dysfunctional the bourgeois state is; they are only worried about their money, not about the people. People are losing their jobs, or they are being sent home without any sick leave at all, let alone paid sick leave. Many of these people have children being sent home from school as well, and there is no childcare being provided for them. People who are not sick are forced home to take care of their children, and they will lose pay over this. The bourgeois state is scrambling around, incapable of properly addressing all of these issues, because they lack the state power to do what is necessary. The bourgeoisie’s preoccupation with maintaining their profits, over the lives and well-being of the people, has shown the true nature of capitalism. Meanwhile, we can look towards countries with socialized healthcare, such as Vietnam, where they have tackled the issue to the best of their ability, and the virus is on its way to being wiped out. Immediately, they built the necessary test kits, and got to work. This shows the efficiency of a planned economy. In China, those who are quarantined are not worried about becoming homeless, or going hungry, the state provides for their people. Capitalist states worry about the bottom dollar, socialist states worry about the people. As well, in Vietnam, they have taken the proper measures to ensure that the needs are met of all people affected by the virus, including food. Again, this shows the functionality of socialized healthcare as opposed to private healthcare, and the need to abolish capitalism.
Covid-19 has succeeded in revealing the absolute weakness of American capitalism when dealing with a crisis. Whilst countries like China and Vietnam have succeeded in containing the virus, America instead chooses to contain Wall Street losses, with a 1.5 TRILLION dollar bailout, leaving ordinary working class Americans to fend for themselves. It is socialism for the rich, and rugged capitalism for the poor! This is simply unacceptable, atrocious and outrageous, and these kinds of actions must be met with the fury of the people!
Do you believe that Coronavirus will lead to changes in how we see our economic and political system? Can it help us re-evaluate the state of the world and our place within it? And will it strengthen the case for Communism as an alternative to the status quo? Or will be go back to "business as usual" at the end of the outbreak?
**Please Note this is in the Communist Only Sub-forum**
Feel Free to send me a Private Message or a Profile Post if you want me to Post this content on the main forums. Thanks.
Communism (from Latin communis, "common, universal") is a philosophical, social, political, economic ideology and movement whose ultimate goal is the establishment of a communist society, namely a socioeconomic order structured upon the ideas of common ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes, money and the state. (Wikipedia)
Feel Free to send me a Private Message or a Profile Post if you want me to Post this content on the main forums. Thanks.
Communism (from Latin communis, "common, universal") is a philosophical, social, political, economic ideology and movement whose ultimate goal is the establishment of a communist society, namely a socioeconomic order structured upon the ideas of common ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes, money and the state. (Wikipedia)
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